The Paradigm of Paradines
by Elemental-Zer0
Summary: Though the Abyss is gone, darkness still spreads its hand across the Known Worlds, and it's a Paradine's sole duty to keep the light from going out.  No major pairings but a new character will be introduced - NOT a Mary-sue
1. Pro  Soliloquy of the Damned

**The Paradigm of Paradines**

**Summary:** _Though the Abyss is gone, darkness still spreads its hand across the Known Worlds, and it's a Paradine's sole duty to keep the light from going out._

**Disclaimer:** This is a Fan-fiction story of the T.V Series; Andromeda, and is in no way affiliated with the actual series. All Characters and other materials related to the show that are used are not intended to infringe on any Copyrights. Elemental-Zer0 takes sole responsibility for any mistakes or offence that may be taken but truly not meant.

However, this story plot and all Characters not affiliated with the show are Copyright © 2009 to Elemental-Zer0.

**Authors Note/Warnings: **_First Andromeda fic, set after the last episode so its more of a continuation from my perspective. Imo there simply wasn't enough elaboration on the Vedrans, Paradines and Dylans supposed greater destiny. Uniting the Known worlds and ending an Abyss is one thing but Paradines are supposed to be the light in the darkness... and there is still a lot of darkness in the universe... Hence this little idea._

_The prologue is short but Chapter one is on its way now._**  
><strong>

_Let me know what you think, but no flames please. If you have any criticism to make please do it politely otherwise I shall ignore your words. (It's happened before, I'm sorry to say, and I hadn't even posted any chapters…)_

* * *

><p><strong>Prologue;<strong> _Soliloquy of the Damned_

A ripple in the fabric of the Universe was all the encouragement she needed to awaken from her long and peaceful hibernation. The emptiness that greeted her upon wakening was befuddling but not unusual. What _was _unusual was the silence that greeted her mind when she reached out to find her people.

This was worrying. Never had it been so silent in all the centuries of their existence. Not that she'd know of the noisy centuries as she was only a youngling, barely even four hundred years old, but not even her sister-race echoed in the timeless void that used to always be so loud. The deafness that was upon her now frightened her incredibly for there was only one reason as to why life was so still; it simply wasn't there anymore.

In a haze of panic, she stretched out erratically, forcing her existence into the web of life with little grace or etiquette, searching frantically for another spark of life, another being entity witch which to query. She was only a child, she couldn't survive alone. She barely knew what she was doing.

At first nothing responded; the silence remained still and dead, but then the slightest breath of life tickled her senses. It wasn't anyone she recognised; the feeling was light and airy as though its presence was uncertain, unlearned. It was innocent and young but there was also a hidden age beneath the surface.

Her curiosity lasted only seconds before her panic took hold again. Clumsily, she snatched at the spark, clinging to it tightly and forcing her presence to surround the stranger; asking, begging, pleading for answers, for acknowledgement, for help.

So young and naive was she, that she did not know the consequences of her actions.


	2. Ch1  Repercussions of another Kin

**The Paradigm of Paradines**

**Summary:** _Though the Abyss is gone, darkness still spreads its hand across the Known Worlds, and it's a Paradine's sole duty to keep the light from going out._

**Disclaimer:** This is a Fan-fiction story of the T.V Series; Andromeda, and is in no way affiliated with the actual series. All Characters and other materials related to the show that are used are not intended to infringe on any Copyrights. Elemental-Zer0 takes sole responsibility for any mistakes or offence that may be taken but truly not meant.

However, this story plot and all Characters not affiliated with the show are Copyright © 2009 to Elemental-Zer0.

**Authors Note/Warnings:** _As promised, Chapter one is here for the reading. Enjoy! Hopefully it ties in smoothly with the prologue…_

_Let me know what you think, but no flames please. If you have any criticism to make please do it politely otherwise I shall ignore your words. (It's happened before, I'm sorry to say, and I hadn't even posted any chapters…)_

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter One:<strong> _Repercussions of another Kin…_

Peace wasn't easy to procure after the devastating attack the Abyss threw at them almost two months ago. The Magog still plagued the Known Worlds – _albeit in smaller numbers now that their world-ship was destroyed _– and the Nietschiens were still divided by their Prides and still delusional in their efforts to gain dominance and superiority in the Universe.

However, the dysfunctional team that was the Andromeda's core crew, worked diligently through whatever was thrown their way, and even though the Commonwealth was now operational and working –_though still not as powerful an influence it used to be _– the odds were still somewhat unfavourable at times. The Nietschiens' reach was widely spread and their grasp quite firm, but there was progress to be seen. The amount of support the new Commonwealth was receiving was growing by the day and even from planets that hadn't even been part of the original CW. The current combined strength of those who'd joined was enough to stay the hand of the genetically superior race. Now it was a war of wit and strategy; no doubt they'll try to influence the CW from inside, try to take the power as their own but if they were denied, the hypocrisy would never end. It was all a balance of power from here on out.

But it was the support that had surprised Captain Dylan Hunt most of all; the sheer number of worlds, races, groups and alliances that were lining up to join the newly reformed Commonwealth was tear jerkingly astounding. While he knew that the old Commonwealth was far superior compared to his best attempts, the expectations he'd had were low, but to have his expectations exceeded by such large a percentage was happy reminder that there was a force of good in the universe.

Apparently it wasn't all that surprising to both Rommie and Seamus Harper. The android of the ship and her engineer had both calculated that after news of Dylan's most heroic battle had circulated all the trade routes and known alliances, hundreds more were estimated to apply for a space in the charter. In the five years it had taken him to rebuild the greatest civilisation known to the Known Worlds, Dylan hadn't ever imagined it would grow as quickly as they'd predicted. He was still a little dubious of he estimates even now. It was a lot of work, dedication and heartache, and he'd put more than enough effort into the mission but the efforts he and his team had afforded were finally paying off.

However, Appreciative and as grateful as he was, Dylan was _not _looking forward to more applications into the Commonwealth. Recently he'd found his and energy had escaped his control as he was herded to what felt like hundreds of ceremonies, treaty meetings, evaluations, alliance propositions, referendums and more parties than he could care fore. It seemed that everyday had become a battle to remember which culture to switch to, which customs to adopt, which physical actions to employ and avoid, whether to be assertive or humble, what dress codes to abide by and generally what rules to break or adhere to.

Everyone wanted a piece of the hero; they all wanted the exclusivity and honours of the CW captain who'd saved them all. But the problem was that there just wasn't enough to go around. Dylan, in his well-intended efforts to please everyone, felt like he was being pushed and pulled into too many different directions at once and he was having a hard time keeping it together. And to add insult to injury; he was now faced with a new dilemma to solve; two worlds wanting an evening ceremonial communion into the Commonwealth by Captain Dylan Hunt himself but on the same date and at the same time. His problem wasn't just the double booking though – oh no, that would be easy - both worlds were easily offended, especially if one was favoured over the other.

The Myrons and Alyrons were once very close friends, what with their home planets being in the same solar system and all. Trade relations were excellent and both worlds worked together to create a very formidable army force. The Myronians were renowned for their fearless and extremely skilled pilots and soldiers while the Alyronans were known and famous for their innovative and state of the art, out of the box weapons and combat space ships. In fact, most of Andromeda's initial weapons and battle security blueprints were drawn up by and Alyronan technician called Yolacia Vendruck. Dylan could remember with vivid clarity how effective the Myronian-Alyronan allied force had been. It was an example he'd tried to instil in his own crew when the old Commonwealth was at its fullest potential.

But that's apparently when things fell apart; when the original Commonwealth fell, one race was accused of betrayal and it all incited a 300 year long quarrel that they still can't resolve even though no one can remember how it all started. And if Dylan have one planet his attention first, the other would take offense and possibly start a civil war between the two worlds.

He sighed wearily into his hands and propped his elbows up on to his desk.

"It's never easy…" He mumbled to himself before sighing again and dropping his head into a lower and more comfortable position in his hands. He let his mind drift for a moment, the dim lighting in his office and the soft hum of the ventilation system soon lulled him into a light doze; his head slipping slowly from its precarious balance, when suddenly his office door slid open with a soundless hiss and the light from the hall almost blinded him. Startled – _and still somewhat asleep_ – he snapped his head up and unknowingly adopted a 'caught-in-the-headlights' look. He peered blearily at the silhouette of his unexpected visitor.

"Dylan?" It was Beka; his First Officer (_which was official now that the Commonwealth was reformed_) and best friend. He watched in a daze as she took a hesitant step inside the dim room when he didn't immediately refuse her intrusion. The door gracefully hissed shut behind her, plunging the office back into a softer light. He felt her watching him carefully as he rubbed his eyes with the palm of his hands before leaning back and relaxing his position in the chair before giving a tired hum as a response.

"It's worse that I thought." She commented with an amused and slightly sympathetic squint. He looked up at her then with a mild look of apprehensions. He could do with no more bad news today.

"What?" he managed while stifling a yawn that threatened to split his jaw apart. She gave a soft chuckle at the sight before responding.

"_You_ Dylan." She clarified, moving closer to the desk as she spoke. "_You_ are worse than I thought." She elaborated, coming to a stop opposite him and leaning on the edge of his cluttered desk with a friendly frown. "When was the last time you saw your bed?" She asked in a soft but reprimanding tone. The question seemed to take a moment to entre his head.

"My bed?" He queried after a moment, his voice sounding thick and groggy. Beka smiled playfully; seeing the large, imposing and somewhat indestructible force that was High Guard Captain Dylan Hunt of the Commonwealth yawning like a baby and struggling to hold a lucid conversation was an amusing privilege for her. It felt good to know he was only human (_well mostly_) and also had his limits – _even if he was stubbornly unaware of them_.

Without missing a beat, she replied tauntingly; "Yeah, you know; soft pillows…" He hummed in appreciation of the thought, "a warm blanket…" He hummed again, closing his eyes, "lets you sleep on it…" Her teasing had the desired effect as he graced her with a tired smile before having it turn into another jaw splitting yawn.

"I don't know…" He moaned vaguely, his mind already drifting again; eyes glassy and vacant.

"Well, that in itself means it's been too long. Come on!" She replied assertively, standing up to her full, slightly-less-than-impressive-but-certainly-still-intimidating height and exuding an expectant air. When he looked at her again, it was with a face that clearly stated he wasn't following what she was on about and that he hadn't the energy to even try and understand. She took an impatient breath;

"You've been going nonstop for almost a week Dylan, and with only small ceremony snacks and five minute wonder naps to keep you going." She argued sternly. "As your First Officer, I'm officially relieving you of duty until you've had at least one decent night's sleep and a full three course dinner." She ordered in her most authoritative tone. "Now up! Before I have to resort to plan b and get Rhade in here to carry you out." She said with a smug smirk. She liked this ordering others around job… it was fun.

It wasn't exactly an idle threat either; she actually had Telemachus Rhade on standby in the hall, just in case the self-sacrificial Captain decided to be difficult, and Dylan was just proving how insightful that forethought had been.

"Beka, I can't just 'go to bed' when I want to; I have problems that need solving tonight before the two ceremonies that have been double booked and if I don't sort it out now-" He started but she stopped him mid-sentence with a raised finger.

"Ah-ah! The Morons and Aliens can wait. What impression would you give them if you collapsed at either ceremony? You're good Dylan but you're no good to anyone if you're unconscious in the ICU." She reprimanded and he was about to reply with his auto-response phrase but she beat him to the marker. "And don't give me that 'I'll be fine' crap either! I can see that you're not." The look he gave her clearly wondered if she was psychic. "Besides, I don't see why you can't meet them both on mutual grounds, like say on board Andromeda? I'm sure they'd get a kick out of that! And they'll have to put aside their differences anyway once they join the big CW." She supplied logically. He frowned at the suggestion, more confused as to why he hadn't thought of the idea himself and also impressed that Beka had come up with it.

"You know that's a really good idea, Beka. I'm impressed!" He praised her with a grin but he failed to change the topic like he'd hoped to.

"I know." She said, moving around the desk and hoiking him up out of his chair as she spoke, ignoring his tired resistance. "It's what _you _would have said, had you been firing on all pistons." She added, tugging him away from the desk. "Leave all the planning and preparations to me and Rommie ok, _you _need to sleep." She emphasized while herding him toward his office door and making sure he didn't take any work with him.

"Andromeda, could you dim all the lights en route to the Captains quarters please?" She asked the ship, remembering Dylan's earlier reaction to the light that had blinded him when she first entered. Then without waiting to hear if her request had been actioned, she opened the door and herded her Captain out into the hallway; a dimly lit hallway with a tall muscular presence waiting patiently for them, who then fell into step with them silently.

"I'm impressed Beka." Rhade's rich voice spoke up, causing Dylan to suddenly notice his escort. "You actually managed to persuade him without violence." He elaborated with a teasing smile.

Dylan gave Beka a glance; "You weren't joking." He smiled and then yawned again, still allowing Beka to lead him to his quarters.

"I don't know the meaning of the word." She teased back with a soft chuckle. He widened his smile and was about to respond with a jab at her ignorance of the words "_following orders_" too but a sudden and strange sensation silenced him before he could voice his accusations. It was like a haze had enveloped his senses; his sight blurred, his hearing became muffled and even his sense of equilibrium faltered under the intense pressure that seemed to be building around him.

Unaware of his actions, Dylan stopped mid-stride and held out a hand, hoping to find something with which to steady himself on. His other hand found his head where the pressure was building the most. He tried to voice his concerns and symptoms, tried to tell them something was very wrong but all he managed was a sharp intake of air as the pressure intensified tenfold. He felt his knees buckle, felt the corridor tilt and spiral away and felt strong arms catch him under his armpits and a sturdy chest press against his back. 'Rhade…' he thought as the world outside began to fade away. He felt fingers, cool and gentle, press against his neck and measuring his pulse, then seconds later lifting the lids of his eyes that, until now, he hadn't realised were closed.

He guessed they were talking to him and asking him to respond but it was another voice entirely that echoed frantically in his ears. It was a child's voice, young and feminine and one he didn't recognise. She sounded panicked and frightened.

"Ascwéalte thanu pas! Aescityr von bearethé ac wyr scen tor! Veá asci wae'ulhén ton sontasna ic frem ve puri! Ascwéalte!"

The voice cut off suddenly before he could respond or ask her any questions, only to be replaced by a sharp ringing noise that threatened to render him deaf. Eventually the ringing lessened and he heard Trance's gentle voice speaking to him.

"Calm down Dylan, we're trying to help." She said soothingly. HE concentrated on her voice for a moment, letting it guide him back to his body. "That's it Dylan, you're doing fine." She reassured him. And then just like that it was gone; the pressure, the ringing, the muffled noises… everything had jumped back to normal leaving him a little disoriented and confused.

Carefully, he opened his eyes to find himself in the corridor still, but on the floor and leaning against Rhade who's caught him when he fell. Trance was right in front of him and Beka was crouched just behind the Sun-girl with a worried frown upon her brow. He blinked several times, trying to make sense of what had just happened when Trance spoke up again.

"Dylan, are you with us?" She asked, implying that he hadn't been for a time. He blearily focussed on her for a moment, trying to understand what she was asking before the question actually registered.

"Yeah…" He answered; his voice shaky and uncertain even to his own ears. He then gave a weary sigh and relaxed against Rhade's firm grip, completely exhausted and unaware he'd been tensing to begin with. "I think I'm ready for that nap now." He added a little groggily. He didn't miss the communal sharing of concerned looks that went on above him but at that particular moment in time, he was too weirded out and tired to care.

"Dylan?" Trance asked again, a hint of worry and concern evident in her voice. He opened his eyes again, unable to recall closing them, and stared blankly at her for a second. Where'd she sprout from anyways? He couldn't recall her being present when Beka and Rhade had tag teamed him into going to bed.

"I'm fine," He assured her, dismissing her sudden appearance as unimportant. "Just really, _really_ tired." He admitted, letting her check his pulse again, and any other checks she felt were necessary to go over.

"I believe him." She told the others after a moment of contemplation. "But I want to keep an eye on him. I'll keep him in med-deck overnight just in case." She decided, signalling to Rhade to help the Captain to his feet. But then something she said registered untimely in Dylan's addled brain.

"Wait…" He protested, causing Rhade to pause in his efforts. "Tonight... the Myrons…Aliens…" Though his words were failing him under the weight of sleep and exhaustion, it seemed to leave no hindrance for Beka to understand his concerns.

"Shhh Dylan, the ceremonies will be postponed. Don't worry about them. We'll reschedule when you're feeling better." She assured him, patting his arm in a comforting manner. "Think you can walk?" She asked, watching him closely. He tested his movement and found that everything seemed to move as they should. He gave her a hesitant nod before allowing Rhade to help him sit up straighter.

The whole corridor warped and spun the second he was on his feet but with Rhade's firm support, he managed to stay upright and somewhat balanced.

"Ok let's get him to a bed before he faints again." Beka announced as she lifted his right arm over her shoulders. Rhade did the same with his left and both began moving him forward. The first few steps were uncoordinated but he soon found a rhythm.

"I did _not_ faint." He replied indignantly as he let them lead him to a bed. Two snorts of laughter echoed on either side of him before Rhade replied in a very smug tone;

"Yes Dylan, I believe you did."


End file.
